Opinion: Solving the United States’ critical minerals crisis

A bar of tantalum.

For several decades, the United States has relied on other countries — often our adversaries — to provide what the U.S. Geological Survey refers to as “critical minerals” that are vital for our economy and national security.

As the U.S. shifts to cleaner forms of energy, more advanced green energy technology will need to be manufactured. This technology typically requires materials such rare earth elements (REEs), cobalt and lithium, all of which have very limited, if any, production in the U.S. and other western nations.

According to the World Economic Forum, there are now more cell phones in the world than there are people. Neodymium and dysprosium, both REEs, are required to produce the magnets phones need. Gallium, tungsten, tantalum and many other critical minerals are also necessary for today’s cell phone technology.

Many of these same resources, plus several others on USGS’s list of 50 critical minerals, are also necessary for technology used in U.S. weapons systems.

We are increasingly dependent on China and other less-than-friendly nations to process and refine these materials before they reach our border.

Think back to 2010 when the Chinese government reduced export quotas on REEs by 40%. For some people, this sounded the first alarm bell for our nation’s critical minerals crisis. For others, the bell has unfortunately not yet sounded at the volume they need to hear.

At one point, the U.S. was a top supplier for many of these critical minerals, but as our environmental policies grew stronger, China and other nations saw an opportunity. China is now responsible for over 90% of all REEs used in the supply chain worldwide and has a dominant position for many other critical minerals.

In years past, mining has been viewed as a “dirty” industry with significant consequences on the environment, which played a role in the shift in approach in the U.S. However, the industry can now use technology to have far fewer environmental repercussions and also have a much safer workplace.

The U.S. has begun to take some steps in the right direction to boost its supply of these vital resources but is still a long way from a long-term solution.

In 2017, the Trump administration issued executive orders related to the country’s critical minerals strategy. USGS developed a list of the nation’s critical minerals that year, and the U.S. Department of Commerce later published a strategy report.

The Biden administration has continued this focus by issuing an order to review supply chain vulnerabilities and has invested in other initiatives related to the production of critical minerals and materials.

The Critical Materials Innovation Hub, located at Ames National Laboratory and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, is actively working to find alternative methods to source these resources and have a more diversified supply chain.

Last year, the Biden administration also expanded the authorization of the Defense Production Act to fund even more projects focused on the supply chain of rechargeable batteries.

In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce named 31 Regional Innovation and Technology Hubs related to multiple areas that can strengthen U.S. economic and national security.

Over 400 groups applied for this designation, and Missouri University of Science and Technology’s critical minerals-related efforts made the cut with its initiative called the Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy (CM2AE) Tech Hub.

Missouri S&T has been a leader in mining, mineral processing and extractive metallurgy for over 150 years, and the hub already includes a large consortium of stakeholders and experts covering all aspects of the critical minerals supply chain who are passionate about making a difference.

However, our work is far from finished for this front.

And more support from the federal government and other entities would still go a long way.

Leaders in Washington, D.C., say they see the importance of addressing this issue and understand the major role our university in Rolla, Missouri, can continue to play for these efforts. Now, to quote Missouri’s unofficial slogan, they can “Show Me” and everyone else that they really do.

Awuah-Offei is the chair and Union Pacific/Rocky Mountain Energy professor of mining and explosives engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla.

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